After High School
by Beautiful Secrets
Summary: High school is over. Everyone has started college. Together. Things are going great...but what happens when Rayne's roommate begins to act strange, and things are becoming wierder and wierder? rr. Sequel to Thru Rayne's Eyes.
1. Chapter I

Chapter 1  
  
She smiled out the car window as she pulled up in her driveway. Rayne hopped out of the car, took her keys and bag, and locked the doors, jamming the keys into her pockets. She jogged up the steps and, checking the mailbox, walked into the house, flipping through the mail.  
  
"What's in the mail, Ray?" a voice called.  
  
"Bills, something from your parents, something from some other people, 'you've just won three thousand dollars,'.yea right, and a letter for me."  
  
"From?" the girl asked, walking into the room. Rayne handed her the other envelopes.  
  
"Hmm.that's strange."  
  
"What is?"  
  
"Oh.Well, Billie, it's from my Aunt's lawyer, but he said he didn't have anything more to send me." Rayne ripped open the side, and pulled out the paper. Billie flipped through the mail in her hands, and tossed most onto the hall table.  
  
"What's it say?"  
  
"My aunt left me all her money.and he sent me a check for all of it."  
  
"How much?" Billie asked, walking over. Rayne took out the check, and widened her eyes.  
  
"Ray?"  
  
"A hundred and forty million dollars." Billie stopped.  
  
"You're kidding." Rayne shook her head slowly. "What're you gonna do with it?" she asked. Rayne stopped. Folding the check, she slid it into her pocket, and looked up.  
  
"I'm going to go put it into my bank, then take Stokes and Stan, and Delilah and Casey, and Zeke out to dinner. I owe them so much." Billie smiled. "Do you wanna come?" Rayne asked.  
  
"Nah.I gotta date tonight. A study date. You go ahead." Rayne hugged her roommate, and headed out the door, unlocked the car, and took off downtown.  
  
She jogged down the hall of the dorms, and knocked on room 48. Stokes answered the door.  
  
"Hey, Rayne.what're you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
"Sure." Rayne walked in, and closed the door. She turned her head and saw Stan sitting on the bed.  
  
"Hey, Stan.listen, how would you guys like to come out to dinner with me tonight? My treat." They looked at each other.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Cool. Let's get going, I still gotta go pick up Delilah, Casey, and Zeke."  
  
"All of us?"  
  
"I'm paying, Stan." He stood up and rushed them out the door. Rayne started laughing.  
  
They pulled up at the guys' dorms, and Rayne looked around the jeep.  
  
"Stay here.I'll go get Zeke."  
  
"I'm comin' with you, Rayne.they don't let girls in unless there's a guy with them." Casey said. Rayne nodded, and the two of them headed into the dorms.  
  
Rayne knocked on the door, and leaned against the wall. Zeke opened the door, wearing his jeans, and an overshirt, unbuttoned, without an undershirt.  
  
"Hey, Casey." Rayne stood up. "Hi, Rayne."  
  
"Hey, Zeke." He stepped away from the door, and headed into the closet to put on a shirt.  
  
"What's up, you two?" Rayne smiled.  
  
"What do you say to having dinner tonight, Zeke? You, me, Casey, Delilah, Stan, and Stokes?"  
  
"Who pays?"  
  
"I do," Rayne said. He looked over.  
  
"Alright. Let's go," Zeke said, and locked the door behind them. He dropped the keys into his pocket as they headed out to the jeep.  
  
Rayne pulled up at a buffet, and turned off the car.  
  
"Come on," she said, getting out. Zeke hopped out, and caught up to her.  
  
"What's your favorite part of this place?" he asked. She looked over.  
  
"Aside from the food?" He nodded. "Hang on." she said, a smile on her lips. She stopped, grabbed the doors, and pulled them open. Zeke looked in and saw the walls, painted dark green with swords and weapons hung up on them. The floor was a lighter green carpet, and right in the middle was the buffet table.  
  
"The way it looks," she replied. He was in awe: the place was amazing.  
  
Rayne wiped her lip, and set the napkin on her plate. She was done eating, so she stood, and wandered over to the jukebox. Rayne rested her hands on the machine, and looked inside, continually flipping the pages, trying to find a song. Finally, she found one. She popped in her quarter, and pressed the button for Jessica Simpson's "Irresistible." After a moment of being still at the machine, she went back over to the table.  
  
She pulled up at her place, locked up the jeep, and jogged up inside the house. The door was locked and the lights were off, so she figured Billie was probably still out. She slid the key into the knob, and turned it, then the knob, and pushed. There was a candle lit on the coffee table, and, after taking out her keys and closing the door, peeked inside. Billie was making out on the couch. Rolling her eyes, Rayne slipped into the kitchen, and opened the freezer. She placed her fingers around the carton, and pulled it out. Rayne started scooping the ice cream into a bowl.  
  
"Rayne?" a voice asked. She jumped, and turned around.  
  
"Zeke? What're you doin' here?"  
  
"Billie let me in.you left this on the table at the restaurant, and I forgot to give it back to you in the car," he said, holding up a broken Celtic cross necklace. She took it, and smiled.  
  
"Thanks, Zeke.I wouldn't have noticed." He nodded.  
  
"Your welcome. Uh, I'll see you tomorrow." he stated, and started out the door. Then stopped.  
  
"By the way, you might wanna tell those two to put out the candle before they knock it over." Rayne smiled.  
  
"I will. Thanks!" she called. He waved, and headed out the door. Rayne walked into the darkened living room, picked up the candle, and blew it out.  
  
"Hey!" Billie cried.  
  
"Go home, Davy. You can do this while I'm in class tomorrow." 


	2. Chapter II

Chapter 2  
  
Rayne leaned back in her chair, and listened to the professor as he spoke about English Lit. She really enjoyed that class, because it helped her write, not only stories, but some music as well. She glanced over at Zeke, who sat two seats down, with Stokely between them. He was whispering to a student next to him, and she saw Zeke slide a pen over to him, and the boy slid a five over. Rayne shook her head, a little smile on her lips.  
  
The professor wrote down the assignment on the big black board in the front of the room, and Rayne looked back over at Zeke. This time, a boy behind him handed him a tiny, folded slip of paper. Zeke opened it, and ran his eyes over the words, then started to look over at her. She dropped her eyes back to her notebook, occasionally looking up to see the homework as she jotted it down.  
  
As she headed down the walk back to her jeep, Rayne was trying to get her book down into her bag, sometimes looking to make sure she wasn't about to hit someone. Zeke jogged up behind her.  
  
"So, Rayne, what's this I hear about you receiving a check worth a hundred and forty million bucks?" he asked. She dropped her bag behind her, pulling it up on her shoulder, and looked up at him.  
  
"My aunt left it to me, but the lawyer sent me the check yesterday. That's why I took you guys to dinner. Why?" she asked, opening the back door and tossing in her bag.  
  
"Davy's roommate Scott told me." Rayne smacked her forehead.  
  
"Billie.you idiot."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I told Billie I got the check, and she told Davy.who must've told Scott.and now the whole campus is gonna know, damnit!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Why don't you talk to Billie? Tell her not to say anymore, and if someone asks her, it was really only fourteen hundred bucks.I'll see what I can do to discard the rumor." She smiled.  
  
"Thanks, Zeke. I'll see you later," she said, kissed his cheek, got in her jeep, and took off.  
  
Rayne pushed open the front door, and looked around. Billie was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to finish something, her pen tapping against the tile.  
  
"Hey, Billie.why'd you tell Davy?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"My check," she said, setting her bag on a chair and pulling open the cupboard above the sink.  
  
"I'm sorry.it slipped.Why?"  
  
"Because he told Scott.Zeke's helpin' out, trying to make it seem a lie, and that it was only for fourteen hundred, and if anyone asks you, you tell 'em, too, alright?" she asked.  
  
"Okay." Rayne took a bite out of the granola bar, and checked her watch.  
  
"Listen, I'm going out. If I'm not back by the time you leave for class, put the house key under the front mat, okay?"  
  
"Where're yours?" she asked.  
  
"I'm not sure what I did with them last night. I've gotta go. I'll see you." She turned, and walked out to her jeep, pulled out of the driveway, and drove down to the girls' dorms.  
  
Rayne knocked on Stokes' door. Stokes opened it.  
  
"Hey, you busy?"  
  
"Uh, no.why?"  
  
"Wanna come with me?"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I'm getting another car." Stokes nodded.  
  
"Sure.lemme just get my jacket."  
  
They headed outside, and drove downtown, to the dealership.  
  
Rayne and Stokes pulled up at Rayne's place, with two cars: the jeep, and her new Kia.  
  
"Thanks for coming with me, Stokes," she said.  
  
"Your welcome. I'll see you in class later, okay?"  
  
"Alright.hey, do you wanna ride?"  
  
"Nah. I need the exercise. But, thanks, though," she said, and took off. Rayne smiled, and hopped onto the porch. She placed her hand on the knob, and turned, but it didn't turn. Sighing, Rayne reached underneath the carpet.but there was no key. Rayne slammed her fist into the door.  
  
"Billie! I needed that key!" she exclaimed, and looked around. "And my lock-picking tools are in my room.maybe Zeke has a set." She jogged down, getting back into her jeep, and headed to the guy dorms. Luckily for her, Zeke was outside, tossing a football around with Casey and Stan.  
  
"Hey, Zeke!" He looked over, and she jogged up.  
  
"What's up?" he asked.  
  
"Listen, Billie locked the door when she left, and I can't find my key, and she didn't leave hers out for me.do you have a pick or something I could use to get inside?" He thought for a second.  
  
"Yea, come on." He tossed the ball to Stan, and led her inside. She jammed her hands into her pockets, feeling ashamed of losing her keys.  
  
Zeke ruffled through his drawers, and finally pulled out a piece of cloth. He unfolded it, and there lay all these tools used to pick locks. She smiled. Taking a quick count, he nodded, folded it, and handed it to her.  
  
"You can bring it back tomorrow, during class. Now, I have thirteen tools in there, cause some are broken and I'm tryin' to fix them. If you return with any missing, I'm comin' after you," he said. She laughed.  
  
"Thanks, Zeke.I'll see you in class tomorrow," she said, and left the dorms.  
  
She pushed the door open, and stepped inside.  
  
"Hello?" she called. No answer. This is getting strange.I leave for five minutes, and the door's unlocked. It's only one. Billie should still be in class. she thought. Rayne hesitantly walked into the kitchen to find a fish laying on the counter. She stopped, then slowly headed over, and looked at it. It had been ripped open, and the gills were gone..And a note sat on beside it: Gone Fishin'. Rayne wrapped up the fish, and left, this time taking Billie's key. It now sat in the key cup on the table. She ran to her jeep, set the fish on the floor, and took off to Zeke's. Maybe he'd know what was going on.  
  
"Zeke!" she called, getting out with the fish. He looked away from the door, and smiled.  
  
"Hey, Ray!" he called.  
  
"Come here!" she called. He jogged over.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"Something's goin' on."  
  
"What do you mean?" She held out the fish.  
  
"Oh, shit, get that away from me.what's that got to with anything?"  
  
"My door was open when I got home. Billie wasn't there, but this was, and there was a note that said she'd gone fishing."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Billie thinks fishing is murder. She'd never do it in a million years, let alone bring home a fish.And to top it all off, it's a fish with its gills ripped out!" she cried. Zeke took her inside, and into the back of his room. He took the fish, and checked it out.  
  
"Your right.The gills are gone. You sure she doesn't like fish?"  
  
"Hates eating any type of fish unless it's shrimp at a restaurant, or tuna.And finding this on my counter worries me a bit." A knock at the door caused her to jump. Zeke dropped his goggles onto the table, and went to see who it was. He pulled open the door, and jumped a bit.  
  
"Hi, Billie." Rayne pulled away from the doorframe, keeping from sight.  
  
"Is Rayne here?"  
  
"Uh, no, why?"  
  
"My fish and my keys are missing," she hissed, turned, and stormed down the hall. Zeke closed the door, and walked back. Rayne looked at him.  
  
"Thanks for not telling her."  
  
"Not a problem.she's not usually that snappy is she?" Rayne sadly shook her head.  
  
"I'm afraid not. And I'm worried about her."  
  
"You took her key?"  
  
"Yep. If she locks the door, I wanna be able to get back in." He nodded, and she set his picking tools on the table. 


	3. Chapter III

Chapter 3  
  
Rayne sat in her room, feet up on her desk, keyboard on her lap, trying to figure out what to write about for her English paper. Her door and windows were locked, her music played from her computer's speakers, and her eyes were closed, attempting to think. Even though the song played loudly, she still could hear the plink, plink of something hitting her window. Rayne dropped her feet to the floor, and placed her keyboard on the desk. She got up, and peeked around the curtains to see who was out there. Casey stood down on the green grass with Delilah, Zeke, Stan, and Stokes. She shook her head, and drew the curtains. Unlocking her window, she shoved it open, and stuck her head out.  
  
"Haven't you guys heard of a front door?" she called.  
  
"We were gonna go to the movies, and when no one answered the phone or the door, we decided to knock on your window.wanna come?" he asked. Rayne laughed.  
  
"Alright.let me get my bag, and I'll be out in a minute." She closed the window, but left the curtains open. Before she did anything, she unlocked her door. Turning, she walked to her computer, and shut it down. She had picked up her bag near the window, took a few steps back, and turned around.and gasped. Billie stared at her, an evil emptiness in her eye.  
  
"Billie, you scared me. Listen, I'm going out.." Billie didn't say anything, only raised her hands to shoulder level. "Billie?" she asked. Casey looked up, and turned to Zeke.  
  
"I wonder what's taking her so long."  
  
Billie pulled her elbows back, and shoved Rayne, hard, into the window. The shattering glass caused them all to look up as she came flying out the window, kicking her feet, screaming. Zeke and Stan leapt forward, and caught her before she hit the ground. She started to shake as they stood her up, and then she glanced up to her window. Billie stared down at them, and then was gone. One minute there, the next not. Rayne looked at them.  
  
"Let's get outta here.now!" she said, and took off for the car in front.  
  
"What is going on?" Delilah asked.  
  
"I wish I knew.but I think something happened to Billie." They hopped into Stan's jeep, and drove off to the movies, but didn't go in. They just sat in the car.  
  
"Now, what do you mean something's happened to Billie?" Stan asked, turning around. Rayne sighed.  
  
"Well, she's been acting really different, like she was someone else," she stated.  
  
"What do you mean?" Rayne thought.  
  
"Usually, she's a wimp. She doesn't hurt me when she hits me, she rarely hits me, she's never mean, or angry with me for stupid things. She's shoved me out of a window, and she's been looking different, and she went fishing."  
  
"So?" Delilah asked. Rayne looked over at her.  
  
"Billie thinks fishing is murder. She's never held a fishing pole, she's never held a fish, and she doesn't eat fish, unless it's canned tuna or breaded shrimp at a restaurant. Yesterday, I came home to find a fish on the counter, with its gills ripped out. Billie isn't the type of person to start something and not finish it, so even if she did like fish, she'd have finished ripping it apart, not just stop with the gills." Zeke nodded.  
  
"And she was very hostile towards Ray for taking the fish and her set of keys to my place." They all looked at him, except Rayne.  
  
"She came by to make sure the gills were missing." They nodded. Rayne dropped her forehead into the palm of her right hand as they got out of the vehicle. Casey stopped, and slid back in beside her.  
  
"You alright?" he asked. She shrugged.  
  
"Something's wrong, Case. I can feel in my veins, and it's the same feeling I had when we fought the aliens," she mumbled, and looked up at him. He froze for a second.  
  
"Well, if anything does happen, at least we've still got each other. We've always known if something was wrong with the other," he said. She smiled.  
  
"Your right.yea, let's go inside," she said, and shooed him out of the car.  
  
They pulled up in front of her place, but she didn't get out. Stan tapped his fingers on the wheel in rhythm with the radio. Finally, Delilah looked up.  
  
"Rayne, this is your stop. Get out of the car," she said. Rayne didn't look up, and her hair stayed hung around her face.  
  
"No.I can't go in there," she said.  
  
"Why not, baby?" she hissed evilly.  
  
"Because I'm afraid! Are you happy? Huh? Are you happy now, bitch?" she snapped, slightly turning her head. Everyone turned and looked at her.  
  
"Your afraid? Of Billie, right?" Casey asked. Rayne nodded.  
  
"Yea.I'm afraid of Billie. Whatever's happened has made her a hell of a lot stronger than usual, and for all I know, she could kill me in my sleep.could I stay with one of you guys tonight?" she asked.  
  
"Not me, my roommate's there, and he's not partial to me having someone stay over," Casey said.  
  
"Same," Stan said.  
  
"My roommate is a lezbo, and I think she likes you, so I'm not gonna risk it," Stokes said.  
  
"No fucking way," Delilah stated.  
  
"That leaves Zeke." Rayne lifted her eyes. He shrugged.  
  
"Sure, what the hell. Let's go," he said. Stan drove to the girls' dorms, dropping them off, and then pulled into the guys' dorm. Rayne slipped in with Zeke, and they walked down the hall into his room.  
  
"Alright, now, your in luck, because it looks like Don is staying somewhere else tonight," he said.  
  
"Top bunk is yours," he said. She nodded, and kicked off her shoes. Zeke walked out, and tossed her one of his longer shirts.  
  
"You can sleep in this," he said.  
  
"Thanks," she said, and went to change. She walked back out wearing a black shirt that hung down to right above her knees. Rayne pushed herself up onto the bunk, and pulled the blankets up to her neck as she lay down. Zeke turned off the light, and laid down, telling Rayne goodnight. She responded, and fell asleep.  
  
She woke up the next morning, and looked down. Zeke had rolled off his bed during the night, but apparently didn't wake up, so he was still sleeping. She almost started laughing at him. Quietly, she climbed down the ladder, and picked up the clothes she had tossed onto his chair. She walked into the bathroom and changed, then walked back out, setting the shirt on the chair. Rayne looked around, trying to find a pen and a piece of paper. Finding one, she wrote him a note:  
  
Zeke:  
Thanks for letting me stay with you last night. I appreciate it. I'm going to be at the Café until ten a.m., when I'll be going to Stan's so he can come back to my place with me. I'm not trusting Billie anymore, and I won't go by myself, and, not knowing when you'll be up, he's my only choice. After that I'll be staying with someone else.or I'll probably rent a place.but, actually, if I'm lucky, Billie won't be there and I can get the locks changed right away. I've gotta go. Thank again, Zeke. :-P ;-)  
~~Rayne.  
  
She quietly walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, and jogged down the hallway.  
  
Rayne sat at a table off in the corner of the Café, drinking a glass of hot cocoa, and reading the paper, sunglasses planted on top of her nose and a black baseball cap on top of her head. She heard the bell above the front door ringing all morning, but didn't look up.until now. Her eyes lifted, and she saw Zeke walk in, his hair a ruffled mess, as though he'd just woken up and come out to find her. She looked back down as he looked in her direction. He nodded, and headed to the counter.  
  
"Yes?" the lady asked.  
  
"Just a coffee." he said, pointing it out on the menu. After getting it, Zeke walked over and sat at the table, right across from her.  
  
"So, your incognito, huh?" She lifted her head, her sunglasses still down on her nose. The visor's shadow that was cast over her eyes shrunk and vanished, and Zeke saw the black eye she had.  
  
"What happened to you?" he asked.  
  
"When I went home yesterday, after classes, before I flew out the window, I had gone into the kitchen, and Billie flung open the cupboard door.it hit me in the eye."  
  
"Why didn't you say something before?" he asked, leaning in.  
  
"Because I didn't think of it."  
  
"Well, if it happened yesterday, why didn't we see it?"  
  
"I was wearing concealer, alright? Give me a break," she said. He nodded, and looked down at his coffee.  
  
"How'd you sleep?" he asked.  
  
"Alright. What about you? You seemed pretty content on the floor," she smiled. He rolled his eyes.  
  
"Yea, yea. I slept fine.until I rolled off the bed. My dream had me flying off a cliff.and landing two feet below. It was strange." She nodded, and looked at her watch.  
  
"Ten.Do you want to come with me to Stan's then to my place? I mean, since you're here," she said. He shrugged, then nodded.  
  
"Alright, sure." They stood up, and walked out of the Café, driving to Stan's. She knocked on the door, and his roommate answered.  
  
"Is Stan here?" she asked.  
  
"Nope.went out last night, probably stayed at Stokes'." he said, and closed the door. Rayne looked at Zeke.  
  
"Do you mind being the only one to come with me?" He shook his head.  
  
"Nope. Come on." 


	4. Chapter IV

_Chapter 4_

Rayne cautiously pushed open the door to her house, and looked around. No sign of Billie…yet. She prayed Billie was gone. Zeke quietly closed the door behind him, and followed her upstairs, into her room, where she packed up her things, saved everything on her computer to a couple disks, and helped Zeke carry it back down to the car. On the way down, he peeked into Billie's room to see her sleeping. Zeke rushed her outside.

"Why'd you push me?" she asked.

"Billie was asleep inside." Rayne nodded, started the car, and took off.

"So, where are you staying?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know. I was planning on going to a hotel tonight, and searching for someone who needs a roommate in the morning," she said. Zeke shook his head.

"Why don't you just stay with me? Don wouldn't mind. I mean, he thinks your pretty cool for a chick." Rayne smiled.

"You did not just call me a chick…"

"No, _he_ calls you a chick…"

"So, you don't mind?"

"Nah."

Rayne lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. She had a bad feeling about going to classes the next day. Shrugging it away, she closed her eyes, rolled onto her side, and fell asleep. Zeke, who slept on the other side of the room, looked over at her through two tired eyes, but fell asleep without thinking twice.

Rayne had gotten to class with Zeke that morning, so she sat by him, with Stokes on her other side. Stan showed up a little late, and took the seat beside her. Rayne hadn't slept well the night before, so she had her head propped up with her right hand, occasionally catching herself before she fell asleep. At some point, she fell asleep, and didn't seem to realize it. Everything was still the same. She was still sitting in class, propping up her head, between Stokes and Zeke, with Stan beside Stokes. The teacher was talking, and she had a pen in her hand. But something wasn't right. She felt someone looking at her, and turned her head slightly to the side. Billie sat two rows in front, across the aisle.

Wait.

Billie wasn't in her English Lit class…in fact, Billie wasn't in _any_ English Lit class. A chill went up her spine as she realized Billie was staring at her. And, as she moved her head to look around, she noticed _everyone_ was staring at her, except for Zeke, Stan, Stokes, Davy, and Scott…everyone else stared at her…right down into her soul. Then they began to get up. As they stood up, they began to move towards her, circling her, encompassing her….it became hard to breath….And she sat up.

Rayne looked around the room, but no one was looking at her except Zeke. Everyone was paying attention to the teacher…and Billie was no longer in there. Zeke touched her arm.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She was breathing heavily, trying to remember…trying to think. The bell rang, and class was dismissed, so she quickly gathered her books and ran from the room, accidentally leaving her bag in her chair. Zeke picked it up and ran out after her.

"Rayne!" he called. She looked behind her and stopped to unlock her car door.

"You forgot this!" he said, walking up. Rayne looked at her bag, and nodded.

"Thanks, Zeke," she said, and tossed it into her backseat with her books. He grabbed her arm.

"What's going on? Why'd you almost freak out in class?" he asked.

"There is something wrong with these people, Zeke. I fell asleep, right? And it was exactly the same in my head. We were still in class…but Billie was there, across the aisle and two rows down. Staring at me. So was everyone else, except you, Stokes, Stan, Davy and Scott. Then they started to get up and circle around me….it was freaky…"

"That's why you jumped during class?"

"There was something different about the way they looked. They were all so pale, and wet, and….they reminded me of Mary Beth…" she said.

"What?" Zeke asked, stepping back. Rayne dropped to the ground.

"The way they looked…it reminded me of Mary Beth before she changed in the locker room…" Zeke shook his head.

"No…I'm not going to believe this…" Rayne suddenly jumped up.

"Maybe their back. Maybe her people are back, Zeke!"

"No! There is no way that that could happen…"

"Why not! What is so hard to believe about it? It's happened once, right? It could happen again!"

"But even so…that doesn't explain the thing with Billie and the fish!"

"Sure it does! The aliens love water! She doesn't live in it, so she cuts out the gills, and attaches them to herself! Don't you get it?" she asked. Then she froze. People walking by looked at her, confused, not sure they want to know.

"That's not possible, Rayne, okay?" She looked away from him.

"Fine. Don't believe me. But don't come to me when they come running after you," she said, got in her car, and left. He stood, unsure of what to do, behind her.

She pulled up at the lake, just to sit and stare at it. Being as smart as she was, though, she didn't shut off the car. Rayne locked the doors, and rolled up the windows, just incase. She dropped her head against the seat, to try and think, when there came a tapping at her window. Her head pulled off the seat, and looked out the window. It had begun to rain, and there stood Billie, pressed against the car window. She yelped.

"Rayne! Lemme in!" she called.

"No fucking way!" she called back. She looked around, and began to get a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Please?" Then she saw it. The lake began to ripple, and kids, students, people from her classes, began to emerge from the water. She almost forgot Billie was there.

"No way! You shoved me out a window!" Billie's face suddenly went from cold and sickly, to evil and pale.

"Let me in!" she screamed, slamming the palm of her hand against the window.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Rayne screamed back, slammed the car into Reverse, pulled back, went into Drive, and took off, leaving Billie and the ton of other students behind her.

She pulled up at the guys' dorms, and ran inside. Her sneakers splashed water onto the carpet as she ran down the hallway to Zeke's room. Her hair hung around her head, and she smacked her hands against the door. He pulled open the door.

"What?" he asked. She shoved inside and closed the door, locking it.

"Rayne, what the fuck are you doing?" he asked. She spun around and looked at him.

"I was right, Zeke…she is an alien, and so is half the student body…" She walked to the window, and peeked outside, then turned back around. He stood at the door, wearing a pair of baggy shorts and a wife-beater shirt, his hair matted to his forehead.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked.

"No…I just got out of the shower…" She nodded.

"Oh…sorry…" She turned back around and looked out the window, at her car. Billie got to it first, with all the others coming up behind her, and began to rock it.

"No, no, not my car!" she cried. Zeke walked over and looked outside.

"What's going on?"

"She's tipping my car over!" Rayne exclaimed, pointing. Billie, plus a couple other students, flipped the car on the roof.

"Damnit! Now how am I gonna get back?"

"Back where?" he asked.

"The basement of the school. I got the key from the janitor this morning, and that's where I was staying after class."

"Why didn't you come back here?"

"You pissed me off…" Then she looked at him.

"Do you believe me now?" He nodded, and walked into the closet.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"_We_ are going to go check on Stokes, Casey, Stan, Davy, Scott, and Delilah…" He walked out in a T-shirt and tennis shoes, and pulled open the door.

"Come on." She walked out behind him, and they ran down the hall, knocking on Davy's door. No answer.

"They're probably out…Scott with some chick from last night, and Davy with…Billie. Let's get Stan…"

They continued down the hall, but Stan's roommate said he was with Stokes, and Casey's roommate said he was with Delilah. Rayne looked at him.

"Is there a back door to this place?" she asked.

"Come on," he said, continuing down the hall. He pushed open a door, and they stood out in the rain.

She looked around, and ran behind him towards the girls' dorms. They had just arrived in front, when lightning flashed, and she jumped, grabbing his arm. She saw something move in the trees. But it wasn't the first time she'd done that. More like the fifth. He was sick of it. Zeke spun around, and pushed her back.

"What! What is it?" She fell back a step, and looked at him.

"What?" she asked timidly. The rain continued to beat down on her face and shoulders.

"What do you want?" he asked, looking down at her. Her heart began to pick up, and beat faster as she thought.

"What do _I_ want?" He nodded. "I want all of this alien shit to go away. I want everything to be back to normal. I want my Aunt to be alive! And most of all…" She stepped back once more. "I shoulda know better than to fall in love with you." He froze. _That_ statement was unexpected. She spun around, her hair flipping around her shoulders, and she began to run. Rayne ran through the trees in the rain towards the school.

"Rayne!" he called. She didn't hear him: the lightning flashed and the thunder cracked. He shook his head, and ran into the girls' dorms.


	5. Chapter V

_Chapter 5_

Rayne sat in the basement room, her door locked, the windows shaded and locked, and all the lights on. No corner was left unlit. She sat in one, though, curled into a ball. A knock came from the door, causing her to jump. Zeke and the janitor were the only ones who knew she was there. Slowly, she got up. There was a peep hole in the door, so she looked outside. There stood Zeke, Stokes, Stan, Casey, and Delilah.

"Rayne, come on, let us in," Casey said.

"Only you…first." She pulled open the door, and Casey walked in.

"Is it really you?" she asked. He looked into her eyes. She looked into his. They stared like that for a minute before she smiled.

"Good…" She pulled open the door, and the others walked in. Before Delilah could set foot in the room, she closed the door.

"Rayne, let her in."

"Fuck no!" she exclaimed.

"Why not?" Stan asked.

"Did you actually forget about what happened last time? When we were all in Zeke's basement lab? _She_ was the alien. I'm not risking an alien in my room…"

"Come on, Rayne. You have to…"

"I don't have to do shit, Zeke, alright?" Casey looked at her.

"Rayne, please." She looked away.

"Fuck…fine." She pulled open the door, and let her in. Delilah wasn't there.

"Where the hell did she go?" they asked, looking out. Rayne lifted her eyes up to the ceiling, and slammed the door, locking it.

"What're you doing?" She pointed up.

"She was on the ceiling…" she whispered. They stepped away from the door, and Rayne went to her window. Carefully, she pulled away the curtains, and looked outside. No one in sight for miles. She unlocked the window, quietly, and pushed it open. Climbing up onto a chair, she looked out. No one. She hopped down.

"Stokes, you first." They gave her a boost, and she slid through the window. Then came Stan, followed by Casey. Zeke and Rayne looked at each other.

"You first," he said.

"Oh, no you don't… you first," she said. He shrugged, and slipped out the window. She sighed, and pulled herself out, bringing her wallet with her. Jamming it into her pocket, she closed the windows, and they began to run. Where to, they weren't sure yet. They just needed to get away from the basement room. So, where did they run to? The class room. The English Lit class room.

"How the fuck did Delilah manage to get on the ceiling?" Stan asked.

"She is an alien, Stan. Think about it. There is no real way to know how they 'manage' to do anything," Rayne said, jogging down the steps. She began to rummage through the papers on the teacher's desk.

"What are you doing?" Casey asked.

"I'm trying to find something…anything…that might help…hey! The answers to Friday's test!" she exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Stan hissed.

"Sorry." She looked around, but couldn't find anything.

"Hey, Zeke, you got any?"

"Any what?"

"Scat," Casey stated. He checked all his pockets, coming up with five pens.

"I say we prove our humanity, and save three for _them_," Rayne said. Zeke nodded, and handed her the first pen.

"You first." She shrugged, pushed in one side of her nose, and sniffed. Pulling it away, she smacked a hand against her forehead.

"Damn!"

"What?"

"What the fuck is in that shit?" she asked, stumbling into the wall.

"The same shit as before, only it's stronger…" Casey sniffed, and then Stokes. Zeke handed Stan another pen, he sniffed, then Zeke. They were all normal.

"Hey! What're you guys doing down there?" a voice called. Their heads snapped up, and Scott stood at the top of the steps. He usually wasn't much of a sight: curly orange hair, green eyes, freckles. However, about a week earlier, he'd gotten a different look. He got his hair straightened, and colored brown. Rayne considered him kinda cute…but she'd never go out with him. He wasn't her type. Sure, he could be sweet and nice, but since he got a change, he'd been a dick. He was so prissy. But, he really liked Rayne. It always made her shiver.

"What's it to you?" Stan called.

"Oh, hey, Stan, guys. What's up?" he asked, jogging down. Zeke held out the pen.

"Sniff this."

"What? Why?"

"We've got aliens on this campus, man, so you better fuckin' sniff it before we shoot you," he said, removing the gun from his shorts.

"No way. I got some from my roommate, and had some about…ten minutes ago…" Zeke shook his head.

"Your roommate?"

"Yea. Davy. Billie's boyfriend." Rayne walked over to Scott, and pushed him onto a table.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"I want you to stare me in the eyes for a minute." He shrugged, and stared at her. She stared back. The others looked at each other. She finally stepped back and turned around.

"He's normal…"

"Normal?"

"I can see a difference in people's eyes. I stared at Casey, and then Delilah, you know, before, and I could see the difference, so I knew something was wrong with her." The others shrugged.

"Okay." Rayne heard the door behind them begin to open, so she motioned to the tables. They ran over and slid under them, hiding. The teacher walked in, and headed over to his desk. Rayne dropped her head so that her hair covered her face. She lifted her hands, and froze. Her ring was gone! It was a silver band, with an ice-blue stone on it. Lifting her head, her hair parted, and she saw it. On the steps, where the teacher would see it. She pulled herself forward, and peeked out. He had turned to the board, trying to the think. Quickly, she reached out, and snatched it up, pulled back, and started to slide back. Forgetting he was behind her, she slid right into Zeke. He groaned a tiny bit before she clamped her hand over his mouth. He looked at her, and she looked back, then moved in front of him. She was wearing all black, and her hair was dyed black, so, if she was lucky, all the teacher would see was black…as long as he didn't turn on the lights _or_ get a flashlight. Rayne pushed herself back just a little bit, but still covered Zeke. He stared at her, and her hand still sat on his lips. She slowly and carefully pulled her hand of his mouth. Her eyes lowered to her legs, and she dawdled her breathing. His hands landed on hers, and she lifted her eyes to his. A smile faintly appeared on his lips. She smiled back, but wasn't sure why. Then the door opened. She moved her head a little bit, and saw the light appear, and disappear. Casey looked at her, so she motioned for him to check it out. He stuck his head out and looked around. A thumbs up signaled that he was gone, so they slid back out.

"Why did you hit me?" Zeke whispered.

"I didn't mean to. I just dropped my ring, and if he'd seen it, he'd have known we were here." She looked around, taking a quick head count.

"Hey, wait, we're missing someone…"

"Who?" Zeke asked.

"Scott…" They looked around at each other.

"We split up. Stokes and Stan, you two take the east wing of the school…Casey, Zeke, and I will take the west…No matter what happens, DO NOT split up. We find Scott, all of our group or none of our group, got it?" Rayne asked.

"Got it," they replied in unison.

"We meet in the gym in exactly thirty minutes. Do either of you have a watch?" she asked. Stokes and Stan shook their head. Rayne looked at Zeke and Casey.

"Casey, give them your watch…"

"Why?"

"So they can keep time." He took it off and tossed it to them.

"Thirty minutes, alright?"

"Alright."

"Go."


	6. Chapter VI

_Chapter 6_

Rayne, Zeke, and Casey wandered into the library, and looked around.

"See anything?" Zeke whispered.

"No…What about you, Casey?" she asked.

"Nothing…Zeke?"

"Just a ton of books…" They left the room, and headed down the all to the gym. They searched their rooms, but hadn't found anything.

"Rayne?"

"Hm?" she asked, looking around.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you before…" She shook her head.

"It's alright, Zeke…"

"No it's not…I, uh…" She held up her hand, silencing him.

"Did you hear something?" she asked. He listened, and heard a splash. They started running towards the pool room, and peeked in through the door. Scott was swimming! And so were Stokes and Stan…but not like normal people.

"Oh, my god…"

"What?" Rayne pulled them all away from the door.

"It's Scott!" she hissed.

"What?"

"He's the alien! The head alien!"

"How do you know?"

"The only one not to take the drug, he disappeared, he knew we were in the room, he's _swimming_…" They all looked at each other.

"Okay, so now we have to kill him…how?" Casey asked.

"The same way as before. Stab him with the scat pen…" She spun around.

"What?"

"I thought of something…come on!" she hissed, and they ran down the hall. She pulled a pin from her hair, and stuck it in the lock of one of the closets.

"What're you doing?"

"This closet holds all the equipment that was banned from the building…" It clicked, and she pulled it open. There were arrows, bows, rifles-tons of weapons… and all she did was pick up a bow.

"What're you doing with that?"

"I'm gonna hit him without getting near him."

"Okay…" She pulled out two more bows, and bunch of arrows. Then handed them to Casey and Zeke.

"You two stand on the catwalk above the pool, and distract them. While Scott is looking at you two, I'll shoot him with the pens…Zeke?" He handed them to her.

"You sure this'll work?" Casey asked.

"It has to. We've no other choice." They started to the pool room. As they started to run off to the catwalk, Zeke stopped. Casey turned to him.

"Zeke, come on!" he hissed. Zeke ran back to Rayne.

"What?" she asked. He set the bow and arrows on the ground, grabbed her shoulders, and kissed her. She kissed him back. After a few seconds, he pulled away.

"If this doesn't work, I just want to know how that feels," he said, grabbed his bow and arrows, and took off. She smiled, touching her lips, and looked away. Then she took a breath, and looked inside. They hit the catwalk, and signaled her. She silently opened the door, and they moved closer to the edge. Zeke readied the arrow, aimed, and fired. It landed it Scott's back. He was already changed, so it had to work. Scott spun around on the deck, and looked up. A loud hissing scream came from him. Casey fired another from a different point on the catwalk, making him scream louder. Rayne aimed the pen at him, and took a breath.

"Hey, ugly!" she called. He spun around, still screaming. She let go, and the pen flew in a straight line, perfect form, right into his eye. The scream grew louder as his eye began to puss. Stan and Stokes looked over from their place on the opposite side of the pool.

"Keep firing!" she cried. Zeke and Casey continued to fire the arrows at Scott, and she loaded the last pen. Scott finally spun back towards Rayne.

"Shoot him!" the two cried in unison. She lifted the bow. Stokes and Stan leapt into the water, and began to swim towards Rayne.

"Time to go home, Scott," she said, and fired. The pen landed in his other eye. He started to freak out, and the puss started coming out in amazing amounts.

"Duck and cover!" she screamed, sliding out the door. Zeke and Casey ducked up on the catwalk, heading out the door, and waited. Then they heard Scott explode, and pushed open the doors. Stokes and Stan, who had been in the pool, were sinking. Rayne dived in, and grabbed them around the waists, pushing herself to the surface. She slid them onto the deck, and pulled herself out. Zeke and Casey ran down, and slid beside the too. While Rayne gave Stan mouth-to-mouth, Casey gave Stokes mouth-to-mouth. Finally, they began to cough, and slowly sat up. Stokes reached over and took Stan's hand. They smiled at each other, and the three helped them stand. Zeke and Rayne stood close, and headed outside into the pouring rain.

"So…are you going to go back to the house you share with Billie, or what?" he asked. She shrugged, and pushed an arm around his waist.

"I dunno. I was thinking about having you guys help me flip my car back over first," she said, laughing. They all began to laugh.

They walked up to the silver car in front of the guys' dorms.

"Okay, you guys get ready…"

"On the count of three…"

"Better make it five."

"Alright, five…"  
"One."

'Two…"

"Three…"

"Four…" Rayne looked around.

"Five!" she cried, and they pushed. The car began to lift up, and flipped over onto its wheels. She stepped back, and looked at her friends. The she saw something in the rain…Billie lay beside a tree, unconscious. She walked around the car, and ran to her friend.

"Billie? Billie, wake up…" she said, shaking her. Billie groaned, and opened her eyes.

"Rayne? What's going on?" she asked. Rayne smiled.

"Your back…" She hugged her friend, and helped her up.

Rayne looked around as she stood in Zeke's room, drying off. He walked over with a cup of tea, and handed it to her.

"Here, drink this…it'll warm you up," he said. She smiled, and sipped it.

"Thanks, Zeke…" He pulled the cushion off a chair, and pulled it up with a towel on it.

"Sit…" She smiled, and sat down.

"Thanks…" Setting the tea on the desk, she looked up at him. He was walking by her, so she reached out and took his hand. He looked down at her.

"What?" She pulled him down. "What?" he asked again. Leaning forward, she kissed him. He kissed her back, placing his hands on her thighs. She had her hands on his cheeks, and then pulled back.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Thank you." He smiled.

"Not a problem…" She pulled the towel tighter around her shoulders, and looked up at the clock. Almost midnight.

"Good thing I don't have class tomorrow," she said. He smiled, and stood up.

"Do you need anything else?" he asked.

"Nope. You've done enough already, Zeke, so take a rest. Sit down already." He laughed, and nodded.

"Alright, fine. You sure you don't need anything else?" he asked.

"I'm sure. I'm fine…." She stood up, and walked to the window, looking outside.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Do you realize that it took us longer the first time to destroy the aliens then it did this time?" she asked, turning around. He thought for a second.

"It did, didn't it?" he asked. She nodded. He stood back up and walked into his closet. When he walked back out, he handed her a pair of shorts and a long T-shirt.

"Here…go change," he said. She smiled, and walked into the bathroom. After only a minute, she walked back out, rubbing her hair dry with the towel. She tossed it into the hamper against the wall, and sat on the couch. Zeke walked over and sat beside her. She leaned against the arm of the couch, and sighed.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I dunno…I'm kind of tired, but who wouldn't be?" she asked. He smiled.

"Yea, I guess your right. Hey, listen, I wanted to tell you something…." He looked over at her, and saw her, sleeping. He smiled, shaking his head, and laid her down. Reaching onto the back of the couch, he covered her up, and then set one of his pillows under her head.

"Sleep tight," he said.


	7. Chapter VII

_Chapter 7_

It had been a couple of months since they decimated the aliens-again-but they were still adjusting. They were all sitting in English Lit (well, those who were _in_ that class), listening to the teacher. He gave them their assignment earlier than usual, so they had time to work on it. Rayne was sitting beside Zeke, and when the teacher walked over and sat at his desk, she scooted her chair closer to him.

"You feeling safer in this class?" he asked. She looked up at him, and smiled.

"Of course. I have you here, remember?" she asked. He smiled, and kissed her, then pulled open his book. She smiled, and put her head on his shoulder. Her pen in hand, she read out of his book and wrote down the answers. He laughed quietly, and looked down at her.

She tossed her bag into the backseat of her car, shut the door, and pulled open her front door. Rayne dropped her wallet into her seat, but reached in, picked it up, and slid it back into her pocket. Suddenly, Zeke was behind her, arms around her waist.

"Where do you think your going?" he asked. She laughed, and looked at him.

"Well, I was going to go get some lunch…hey, why don't you come with me?" she asked.

"Nah. I got stuff to do…"

"You need a lift back to the dorms?"

"Sure," he said, and got in on the other side. She shook her head, smiling, and got in, started the car, and drove off.

She pulled up at a little coffee shop about three miles away from the college, and walked inside.

"Hello, welcome to Mr. Crum's. How may I help you?" one girl asked. Rayne pulled off her sunglasses.

"Oh, hey Rayne."

"Hey, Billie…uh, I'll just have the usual," she said. Billie smiled, and made it up.

"Here you go…" Rayne paid, and took her cocoa and cookie to a corner of the shop. As she sat down, the door opened. Paying it no mind, she pulled a notebook and pen from her bag, opened the book, and began to write her English paper. She heard the chair across from her scratch the floor as it pulled out. Her eyes lifted to see Casey sitting down.

"Hey, Case," she said, smiling.

"Hey, Rayne. What're you writing?"

"Well, we have a paper for English Lit due next week, and I have to get a topic…"

"What does it have to be about?"

"Anything we want…within reason." He thought for a second.

"Why don't you write it on your writing?" he asked.

"My writing? No way…Mr. Tamplet doesn't like my writing…"

"That's because he doesn't under_stand_ it, Rayne. If he knew what you were like, then he'd understand. If I was your teacher, and I didn't know you, but read your work, I'd think it was crazy. But the descriptions you have, and the setting, and the plots…it's amazing you haven't published anything yet!" She laughed.

"I haven't published anything yet because I haven't _finished_ anything yet. But when I do, you'll be the first to know." He smiled.

"So, what're you doing here?" she asked.

"Came in for something to eat, and saw you, so, I figured I'd sit down. You mind?"

"Nah. It's nice to have company when your boyfriend has other 'things' to attend to…"

"Wonder what he's doing…" Rayne shook her head.

"I don't wonder because I know. He's doing the same thing he did in high school," she said.

"Oh, you mean the…"

"Yea…I wish he wouldn't, because every week he makes it stronger, but, eh, what're you gonna do about it?" she asked, shrugging.

"How much stronger?"

"Do you remember high school? When we had to prove humanity with it?" He nodded.

"Remember how strong we thought it was?" Nod. "Now think back to how much stronger it was a few months ago when we did it again…"

"Oh…alright…isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah…But he doesn't seem to get it…" Casey nodded.

"You do know that if you need me I'm here, right?"

"Of course, Case…"

Rayne dropped her bag onto the chair beside the front door, and dropped her keys in the bowl.

"Rayne? Is that you?" a voice called.

"Who else would it be?" she called back, walking into the kitchen.

"Where'd you go after you left Crum's?" Billie asked, looking up from her magazine.

"I went to see Zeke…is that a problem?" she asked, pulling a glass out of the cupboard. Billie shrugged.

"Guess not. Uh, you got a couple calls while you were out…"

"Did you take a message?"

"Course. Under the phone," she said, jerking her thumb in that direction. Rayne turned her head and saw a sheet of paper beneath the wall phone, and walked over.

"Hmmm…Stokes wants her CD back…I'll drop it off later. I already saw Stan…hey, who's this?" she asked. Billie didn't look up.

"Who?"

"David Capelty…."

"Oh…he said he was some lawyer…" Rayne got a confused look on her face as she placed her hands on the counter, and tried to think of who he was.

"Lawyer…?" Rayne picked up the phone, and, taking the paper, wandered out of the room to call him.

"Hello? Uh, may I speak to David Capelty?"

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Rayne Dayye."

"Please hold…" Rayne paced the hallway, and the doorbell rang.

"Billie…?"

"Okay." Rayne heard the chair scrape across the floor, and saw her walk to the door. Rayne turned away from the door, and listened to the phone. The door closed, and Rayne felt Zeke's arms go around her waist.

"Who're you talking to?"

"This is David Capelty…hello, Rayne…" Rayne put a hand over the receiver.

"Some lawyer….Hi, Mr. Capelty…"

"Call me David."

"Hi, David. Listen, I got a message that you called, and I wanted to know what you needed…"

"Well, you see, I am Maria Brummel's lawyer, and…."

"Brummel?" Zeke looked at her.

"Yes…did you know her?"

"Uh, yea, she was one of my teachers in high school…"

"Well, I was looking over her will, since there were some thing's that hadn't been given out, but I didn't know why…"

"Yea? What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, it says here that you were one of her best students, and that she left some of her things to you…"

"Really…and you couldn't just send them to me? With a letter explaining everything?"

"Um, no, because she left you a piano and…"

"A _piano_!" she exclaimed. Zeke stepped back.

"Yes, a piano. And all the music she ever had for it…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back the will train up here! She left me a piano? _And_ her music? Wow…I didn't know I meant that much to someone…"

"Well, I can mail you all the papers, but you'd have to pick up the piano by next Wednesday…"

"Alright….I can do that…"

"Okay. Now, if you have any more questions, just call me…goodbye, Ms. Dayye…"

"Goodbye, David…" Rayne turned off the phone, and turned around, a little confused.

"What about a piano?" Rayne looked up at Zeke.

"You remember Mrs. Brummel, right?"

"Of course…"

"It turns out that she left me her piano…"

"A piano…why would she leave the piano?" Rayne shrugged. "When do you have to get it?"

"By next Wednesday," she stated, thinking.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, I could always clean up the basement a bit and stick it down there," she said.

"Have fun," he said. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I could use a couple of big, strong men to help me, though…"

"Good luck finding them…"

"Come on, Zeke. Please?" she asked, giving him a puppy dog look. He sighed, and pulled back.

"Fine, I'll help you…"

"Good…then let me go call Stan, and see if he can come over and help out," she said, picking the phone back up.


End file.
